Summer School – Andre Helman

What happened since the Summer School?

I did the Summer School in July 2013. Since then, many things happened in my professional as well as
personal life. Here they are, in a nutshell.

André Helman, Paris

I went on with Pink Therapy for a few years: I did an eight-day training in “Alternative Sexualities”, a
“Wisdom of the Ages” workshop, and a Master Class in July 2015.

My practice progressively opened to more GSRD persons. I felt clearer within myself about sex, gender diversity and non-monogamic relationships. I had recognized my own hidden stereotypes and prejudices, which allowed them to lose the power, they had upon me. So, I felt freer to speak about these issues and to bring them up myself every time I felt it was relevant, but the person didn’t speak them out. In the fall of 2015, I created a professional website – which I didn’t do before because I’m a medical doctor and MDs are not allowed to do any kind of advertisement in France. But then, I was about to retire as an MD. My website (sorry it’s only in French!) has a page entitled “Sex and Gender Diversity”. I also allowed a French “GSRD-friendly” website to publish my contact details, which makes me visible as a therapist opened to gender diverse persons. Since then, I’ve been seeing more and more persons who question their gender identity and/or sexual orientation and/or relationship modes. Trans persons starting a transition, too. I’m glad and proud to be able to go part of the way with them on their (often hard) life path.

About my personal life, I experienced several sexual and affective relationships between 2012 (when
I split up with my 10 years’ partner JP) and 2016. Then I came back to him, in a different form of
relationship: we don’t live together anymore and we’re both free to have other relationships,
without questioning our commitment to each other. I now consider myself as polyamorous and
faithful to JP, my life partner. Think, I knew nothing about polyamory (even not the word) till I did the
Summer Course!